1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the disposal of empty containers, particularly, although not exclusively, empty containers which formerly contained hazardous material.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to supply herbicide in containers similar to so-called wine boxes, used for dispensing wine. Such containers comprise a flexible inner liner in the form of a bag, made from plastics material, which is accommodated in a rigid outer casing, in the form of a box made from a folded blank of cardboard. The inner liner is provided with an outlet fitting which, in use of the container to dispense its contents, projects through a hole in the wall of the box and is connected to an inlet fitting of herbicide delivery equipment.
Such packaging has proved particularly useful for herbicide formulations which can be dispensed directly from the container, without requiring any dilution.
Herbicides are often toxic to humans and animals, and environmentally hazardous. The disposal in a safe manner of containers which formerly contained herbicides and other hazardous material is a long-standing problem. If such disposal involves difficulty or inconvenience for the user of the hazardous material, there is the danger that the user will be tempted to ignore advice or regulations governing the disposal of such containers, with consequent danger to the public and to the environment. Even where provision is made for the collection of empty containers for specialized disposal, this is economically feasible only if the user has a large number of empty containers for collection, and he is consequently faced with the problem of storing the empty containers in the interval between collections.